The New York Knicks have regained relevancy under the leadership of Leon Rose, the president of basketball operations, but his tenure didn’t begin auspiciously.
In 2021, one of Rose’s first moves was to give French shooting guard Evan Fournier a four-year deal worth $73 million, after acquiring him from the Boston Celtics. The move backfired significantly, as Fournier appeared in only 107 games for the Knicks (in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons) before being traded to the Detroit Pistons.
Since Fournier’s contract proved to be a disaster, the Knicks were forced to attach promising youngster Quentin Grimes, along with Malachi Flynn and multiple second-round picks, to get him off the books. In hindsight, the Knicks would have benefited enormously from holding onto Grimes, who averaged 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists for the 76ers last season, proving to be a blossoming star.
Losing Grimes Due to the Mistake
ESPN’s Zach Kram believes the Fournier deal remains the “biggest mistake” made by the Knicks since the start of the decade, as it ruined their finances and hampered their ability to make other moves to improve the roster.
“The Knicks added Fournier via a sign-and-trade on the strength of a two-year run in which he averaged 18 points per game and made 40% of his 3s. But after averaging a respectable 14 points in 80 games in his first season in New York, Fournier’s game fell apart,” he wrote. “He averaged just 6 points in 27 games in his second season and missed New York’s playoff run because of an injury, then averaged 4 points in three games in his third season before moving to Detroit at the deadline.
“The Knicks signed Fournier for four years, but ultimately, he was out of the NBA and playing in Europe after just three.”
Knicks Have Bounced Back Strongly
To Rose’s credit, the Knicks rehabilitated their image in subsequent years through smart trades and free-agent signings. The home run move came in July 2022 when they signed Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million contract.
At the time, some felt that the Knicks overpaid for Brunson. However, it turns out the Knicks got him for cheap, as Brunson turned into a perennial All-Star and All-NBA player. The super-value deal also helped the Knicks pursue trades for others such as OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns in subsequent years.
The moves helped the Knicks reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000 last season. Many analysts believe New York will go one step further in the 2025-26 season and make its first NBA Finals appearance of the century. Anunoby, for one, isn’t satisfied with just a conference finals appearance.
“Ultimate goal is to win a championship, that’s our main goal, I think mine and all my teammates,” he told Forbes this offseason. “It was excitement for all the hard work I put in, but also not being satisfied and wanting to keep getting better and better.”
“I‘ve been in New York the last year and a half and I’ve loved every second of it,” Anunoby added. “New York has the best fans. I love my teammates, I love my coaches, I love everyone. It’s awesome being here.”
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